Quantitative Ecologist
WORK WITH US
We were founded in 1970 to rescue the Peregrine Falcon from extinction by pioneering ways to breed and release them across North America. With that historic success, our mission grew to encompass all raptor species worldwide. Today we
Restore critically endangered species
Research little-known species
Train and support students
Engage all ages with environmental education
Conserve habitat
Our employee benefits program plays a vital role in demonstrating our commitment to our employees. We are pleased to offer eligible employees a benefits program that is comprehensive and the best among our peer institutions, including a 403(b) retirement program as well as health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance.
The Peregrine Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We ensure all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
The successful applicant will be required to complete a background screening before a final offer of employment is made.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Quantitative Ecologist analyzes data collected by The Peregrine Fund or stored by the Global Raptor Impact Network. They work closely with project directors and The Executive Vice President of Science and Conservation to design analyses, studies, and monitoring programs that ensure hypotheses are rigorously tested, population trends are detected, and potential management actions are identified and evaluated.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
Critically evaluate—and provide guidance to program managers regarding the design of studies, monitoring programs, and experiments, especially regarding data collection and the strength of inference that will be gained concerning the hypotheses to be tested.
Analyze empirical data to determine vital rates such as survival and fecundity for focal species.
Develop and use simulation models of populations of focal species to prioritize research questions and guide management decisions.
Analyze data regarding population levels across both space and time to detect trends and examine their underlying drivers.
Develop novel methods for combining inference from disparate datasets.
Contribute to peer-reviewed publications, reports, presentations, and grant-writing in support of projects.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D. in biology, biostatistics, wildlife biology, or field related to conservation or statistics.
Proficiency in R, especially regarding data simulation, mark-recapture, occupancy modeling, N-mixture models, GLM, GLMM, and MaxEnt.
Familiarity building, managing, and analyzing large databases.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Comfortable working both independently and on a team.
Ability and desire to learn and develop new quantitative techniques.
Experience designing monitoring programs for vertebrates.
Expertise in population ecology, specifically the regulation or distribution of bird populations.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
At least five years of experience designing and implementing studies on the regulation or distribution of animal populations.
Proficient using Bayesian hierarchical models, particularly integrated population models.
Experience with large databases of bird sightings such as eBird, GBIF, and the Avian Knowledge Network
Familiarity with the biology, conservation, and monitoring of raptors.
Strong record of scientific publication.
Experience with GIS.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The Quantitative Ecologist is not expected to collect data but does a limited amount of fieldwork involving site visits during study design and implementation.
COMPENSATION
Annual salary $70,000 - $80,000
TO APPLY
Send via email a single file attachment (PDF preferred) including a cover letter and CV resume to: employment@peregrinefund.org. Please name the file “LastName_FirstName_Quantitative_Ecologist” and include the job title you are applying for in the subject line.
